


Origins

by Izzyfandoms



Series: Miraculous: Tales of Tarantula and Prince Dragon [1]
Category: Cartoon Therapy (Web Series), Miraculous Ladybug, Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Crossover, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:41:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26123662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Izzyfandoms/pseuds/Izzyfandoms
Summary: When Virgil Dupain-Cheng woke up on the first day of school, he'd expected the new year to be just as normal as always. He'd do decent at school, hopefully have a few friends, help his parents with their bakery and design clothes in his free time.But then a magical necklace appeared in his room, and his life turned upside down.(A Sanders Sides/Miraculous Ladybug Crossover)
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Thomas Sanders Shorts Anxiety Character | Andy Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders & Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders & Logic | Logan Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders & Sleep | Remy Sanders, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders & Morality | Patton Sanders, Dr. Emile Picani/Sleep | Remy Sanders, Thomas Sanders Shorts Anxiety Character | Andy Sanders/Thomas Sanders
Series: Miraculous: Tales of Tarantula and Prince Dragon [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1896835
Comments: 6
Kudos: 31





	Origins

**Author's Note:**

> All the main cast/the main teenagers are replaced by TS characters - Virgil as Marinette, Roman as Adrien, Remy as Chloe, etc - and all the adults/villains are the same. The Miraculouses have also all been mostly replaced by ones I made up, though the ones in canon still exist in these universe, they just aren't the main ones being used. Also, I imagine the characters are slightly older than the teenagers in ML - like 16 or something like that. Hope you enjoy!

Many centuries ago, magic jewels bestowing extraordinary powers were created. These were... the Miraculouses. 

Throughout history, humans have used these jewels for the good of the human race. Two of these Miraculouses were more powerful than the others: the earrings of the Ladybug, which provided the power of creation; and the ring of the Black Cat, which granted the power of destruction. 

According to legend, whoever controlled both those jewels at the same time, would achieve absolute power. 

And so, in the face of a dangerous, rising super-villain – one wielding the Moth brooch Miraculous, who likely sought the combined power of creation and destruction for themself – the guardian was conflicted. His kwami could feel that the Butterfly Miraculous had fallen into the hands of evil, so it was only a matter of time before that evil surfaced and attacked. 

Did he risk using the two most powerful Miraculouses? Granting their powers to two new heroes, in the hopes that they won against the Moth, and that the jewellery wouldn’t fall into the wrong hands? Or did he give out other, weaker Miraculouses, ones that wouldn’t be too dangerous to lose, keeping the Ladybug and the Black Cat safe, but risking it not being enough? 

His hands hovered over the small Octagonal boxes laid out in front of him. 

They were mismatched, not all from the same Miraculous box. A mistake in his youth had led to that, and it remained his biggest regret. 

The Ladybug and the Black Cat came as a pair, from the same box as the Butterfly and the missing Peacock, as well as the Turtle bracelet that sat on the Guardian’s wrist. The rest, though, were all different. A mismatched collection, grabbed in a panic. 

The Owl. 

The Yellow Snake. 

The Spider. 

The Red Dragon. 

The Bird. 

The White Cat. 

The Lion. 

The Octopus. 

The empty box of the Turtle. 

And the Ladybug and the Black Cat, a pair, sat in the centre. 

The Guardian glanced up at his kwami – a small, floating, green turtle by the name of Wayzz. They held a silent conversation, and came to a silent agreement. 

(Their many years together had given them a deep understanding of each other and their thoughts.) 

Then, he turned back to the boxes, carefully picking out the necklace of the Spider, and the bracelet of the Red Dragon. 

The Ladybug and the Black Cat would stay tucked away, for now. 

*** 

“Virgil. Virgil!” 

Virgil yawned, sitting up slowly and blinking the sleep from his eyes. He stretched noisily, making a face when he realised that the alarm on his phone was going off, and likely had been for a while. 

How did he sleep through it again? 

“I’m up, Mama!” He shouted back when he heard his mother call his name again. “Coming!” 

Maybe she needed help in the bakery. He had been assisting his parents more over the Summer. 

“You’re gonna be late for school!” 

Virgil froze mid-stretch. He stayed like that for a moment – blinking in shock – before he unfroze and hurriedly grabbed his phone, switching off the ringing alarm and checking the date. 

It was Monday. 

The first day back at school. 

He groaned. 

“Ah, shit,” Virgil mumbled under his breath, rubbing at his eyes with over-sized sleeves. 

He had borrowed one of his dad’s old shirts to sleep in again. It was comfy – very comfy – but worn-out and definitely too big on him, and he thought he probably looked ridiculous. 

He somewhat reluctantly climbed out of bed, scowling at himself as he left the warm comfort of his duvet and pillows. He knew he would miss them. It would be far, far too many hours before he’d be able to sleep again. He already deeply missed the Summer, even though he definitely wasn’t a fan of the heat. 

He left his room and made his way down the stairs, entering the kitchen and immediately heading over to his mother to kiss her on the cheek. 

“Ugh, I think Remy’s in my class again this year,” he said as he sat down at the table. 

His mother, Sabine, pulled a face. “Really, again? Four years in a row. That can’t be possible.” 

“Oh, it’s definitely possible – with my luck at least.” 

“Hmm... well, maybe he won’t be so bad this year?” 

Virgil scoffed. “Nah, Remy’s never gonna change. He’s always been like this. Once an asshole, always an asshole.” 

“Language.” 

“Sorry.” 

His mother shot him a chastising look that was tinged with a fondness that made the corners of Virgil’s lips twitch upwards. He knew he’d inherited his mischievous streak from somebody, though his father was also a potential candidate. He also knew that he’d overheard her talking to his father about Remy in a similar way, in the past when his classmate had been particularly nasty to him. 

“Well, let’s look on the bright side, honey,” Sabine continued, turning away to continuing preparing her own breakfast, as Virgil poured himself a bowl of cereal. “It’s the start of a new year! I’m sure everything will turn out just fine.” 

Virgil huffed. “I hope so.” 

He lifted the first spoonful of cereal to his lips, but before he could get even a single taste of that sugary goodness, it slipped from his fingertips, landing in his bowl and splashing his shirt with milk and cereal. 

Virgil sighed; this was going to be a long day. 

Sabine passed her son a cloth to wipe his shirt with. 

The rest of his breakfast passed quickly – and, thankfully, uneventfully, with minimal mess. He got dressed quickly, too: he was running late, after all. Black socks. Black boots. Black jeans. Purple shirt. Black and purple hand-made jacket. Make-up. Purple backpack. He double checked and triple checked and quadruple checked that he had everything he needed – anxiety may have been a bitch, but it at least made him thorough – before he headed back downstairs again. 

As he entered the bakery below his house, he was immediately greeted by the usual sounds of his father, Tom, singing out of tune to himself as he moved around the room. The bakery wasn’t open yet, so there were no customers, only them. 

Virgil then smiled slightly as Tom turned around, revealing the box of freshly-baked cupcakes he held in his hands, quickly (and carefully) handing them to his son. 

“Thanks, Dad.” 

“No problem! Glad you like them. Make sure to show off your new logo design to your classmates, I’m sure they’ll bring in a ton of new customers this year!” 

Virgil huffed a laugh. “Pretty sure it’s your baking that brings in the customers, Dad.” 

“We _all_ bring in the customers. We’re great, and we’ll be even greater this year! We’re the Dupain-Chengs, and there is nothing we can’t do!” 

Tom moved into a super-hero pose, flexing his arms and grinning. Virgil snorted. 

“Yeah, well, I’ve gotta go, Dad. I’m kinda late.” 

“See you tonight, then!” 

Virgil pushed past his parents and exited the bakery, moving as quickly as he could whilst balancing the box of cupcakes in his arms. With his luck, he was surprised he didn’t trip the moments his boots hit the pavement, but, somehow, he managed to stay upright and begin to make his way down the street. 

He stopped at a crossing, almost tripping into the road but managing to lean back and catch himself at just the right moment. He let out a sigh of relief, and then tensed up again, gawking, wide-eyed when he noticed the small, old man slowly trying to cross the street – travelling slowly and with a cane – right in the way of an oncoming car. He wasn’t looking where he was going, and the rest of the surrounding people were far too focused on their phones to notice. 

Virgil leapt forward, grabbing the man by the wrist that held his cane and tugging him towards him and out of the way of the car. 

The old man stumbled, though made it safely to the other side, but Virgil’s box of cupcakes flew from his hand and landed on the pavement, spilling cake and multi-coloured icing all over the grey concrete. 

“Thank you, young man,” the short old man in the Hawaiian shirt said, smiling gratefully, before noticing the spilt cupcakes all over the pavement. “Oh, what a shame!” 

“It’s- it’s fine,” Virgil sighed, picking himself up and dusting himself off. A few cupcakes were still mostly intact and still the box – unaffected by the pavement – though most were unsalvageable. He offered one of the remaining ones to the old man, who took it. 

“Mmm... delicious!” 

“Yeah, my da- oh, shit!” 

_Ah, shit, Virgil just swore in front of an old man._

“I’m late for school!” He continued. “Uh- bye!” 

He waved a quick goodbye to the old man, and then proceeded to sprint across the street and over to his school. Luckily, he lived right by it, but, unfortunately, that didn’t often save him from his usual lateness. 

Unbeknownst to Virgil, the old man watched him intently as he went, his gaze following Virgil’s running form until he was out of sight. Then, he retrieved a small octagonal box from his pocket, looking it over. 

“Thank you very much, young man.” He smiled to himself, before walking off in the direction of the bakery at an easy pace, holding his cane off the ground, behind his back, not needing to use it. 

*** 

“Logan, why don’t you sit in the front row, this year?” Caline Bustier said as Virgil burst through the door of the classroom. 

Logan sighed, pulling out his earphones and lifting his bag as he made his way to one of the front desks – the outer right seat – sitting down reluctantly. Virgil took one of the seats behind him, the middle right seat. He and Logan had had classes together for years, though they didn’t know each other nearly as well as they could have. 

Logan Lahiffe was into music – the violin, in particular, and composing his own tunes – whilst Virgil was into fashion design. They both mostly kept to themselves, though they got along well enough when put together. 

A hand suddenly slammed into Virgil’s desk and he jumped, looking up. His eyes immediately landed on a familiar, sunglasses-wearing face and his stomach dropped. 

“Ugh,” Virgil grumbled, crossing his arms and leaning back in his seat. “What is it now, Remy?” 

“You’re in my seat. Move.” 

“Wha- but this has always been my seat? Get your own.” 

“Not this year, dumbass. New year. New seats. You can go sit with that new guy over there.” He gestured vaguely at the other front desk across the room, where a teenager in a green and black t-shirt and ripped jeans was sat. He was barely paying attention to them. “He’s a weirdo, too. You guys could totally be, like, best friends or something.” 

There was a second new guy sat beside Andy, just behind the desk Virgil was sat at, too. Two new students were joining their class this year? Virgil almost pitied them, they wouldn’t know what to expect with Remy – the serial bully and life-ruiner. 

The mayor’s son. A spoilt brat. 

Virgil rolled his eyes. “Why do you even care so much, Remy? It’s just a seat.” 

“Roman’s coming today!” Remy’s lackey, Emile Picani-Raincomprix piped up from behind him. He was far too nice to be friends with Remy, but had been for as long as Virgil could remember. “Remy’s his best friend, so we’re gonna sit behind him.” 

Three new guys? 

“Who’s Roman?” 

Remy laughed, loud, mocking and only slightly over-exaggerated. He mimed wiping a tear from his eye, shooting Virgil a short look of fake pity. 

“What rock have you been living under, babe?” He glanced back at Emile. “Can you believe he doesn’t know who Roman Agreste is? Totes adorbs, don’t you think?” 

“He’s a famous model,” Emile supplied helpfully, giving Remy an apologetic look when Remy scowled at his friend for being nice to his enemy. 

(Virgil hoped that one day Emile would move on from Remy. He seemed nice, and deserved better than a friend who walked all over him.) 

Something suddenly clicked in Virgil’s head. 

Roman _Agreste_. Like Gabriel Agreste. He certainly wasn’t one of Virgil’s favourite fashion designers, as they had very different styles, but he was famous, and Virgil could certainly appreciate his work. 

“Roman _adores_ me,” Remy said. “We’re, like, meant to be. So, go on, move!” 

The new guy across the room burst into laughter at that, making everyone’s eyes fall on him. His whole body shook under the force of his loud cackles, and Remy immediately turned to glare daggers at him. 

“What are you laughing at?” 

“You, duh.” 

Remy let out an offended noise, hand over heart. “Excuse me? Do you even know who I am?” 

“Course I do. You’re the mayor’s bitch son.” 

Virgil heard Kai Kubdul snort in the background, and he didn’t even try to hide it. He did hold his hands up in mock surrender when Remy turned his glare on him, though. And when Remy turned back to the new kid, Kai rolled his eyes and scowled. 

Remy opened his mouth to snap back, but the new kid continued before he could. 

“And what makes you think Roman adores you? He thinks you’re annoying as _hell_.” 

“Excuse you? How the hell would _you_ even know that?” 

The new kid looked at Remy like he was stupid. “Oh, come _on_ , Rem. I know it’s been ages since Dad made us hang out, but you’re _really_ saying you don’t recognise me?” He paused, watching Remy cross his arms, before glancing around the room at the rest of the staring class. “Roman... is my _brother_ . We’re twins, dumbass. We look basically the same, except he’s boring and stupid. And I _know_ he doesn’t like you.” 

“You know _nothing_ ,” Remy said coldly. “You’re just the loser your father gave up on. _He’s_ the cute model. You’re nothing.” 

Emile made a quiet noise, grabbing at the sleeve of Remy’s leather jacket and tugging gently. 

“That’s _mean_ , Rem.” 

“Uh, duh, that’s the _point_.” Remy huffed. “Where is Roman, anyway? How come you’re here and he isn’t?” 

The new kid grinned, showing off his teeth. “I snuck out. He tried, but he got caught. Loser.” Then, he turned to Virgil. “Come on, come sit with me. Let the bitch sit near my dumb brother. Who even cares about _them_?” 

“First smart thing you’ve ever said,” Remy mumbled, turning back to Virgil with an expectant look. 

Virgil shifted uncomfortably as all the attention returned to him. Then, he sighed, reluctantly scooping his backpack off the floor and the box of cupcakes off the desk and standing up. He ignored the apologetic look that Emile shot him as he and Remy took their seats – Emile behind Logan, and Remy where Virgil had just sat – and went across the room to sit beside the new kid, who immediately bumped shoulders with him. 

“God, he’s such an _asshole_ , isn’t he?” 

Virgil snorted. “He’s the worst.” 

“Yeah...” The new kid trailed off in thought. “I’m Remus, by the way. Remus Agreste.” 

“Virgil Dupain-Cheng. It’s nice to see someone stand up to Remy, for once.” 

Remus scoffed. “The bitch deserves it.” Then, he grinned. “Now that _I’m_ here, he’s gonna be getting some payback for walking over everyone his whole life. You with me?” 

He spoke quietly enough that Remy couldn’t hear, which seemed like a miracle given Remus’s brash personality, though the two students who sat behind them – Kai Kubdel and Thomas Haprèle-Sanders – probably could. They’d both dealt with Remy long enough not to speak up in his favour, though. 

Virgil glanced back at Remy. He was staring at the door, a bored expression on his face as he drummed his fingers on the desk. Emile was staring at him with a lovestruck expression, and Virgil was suddenly stuck by the memory of _that_ disaster of a crush, that apparently hadn’t faded over the Summer. Everyone in the class but Remy, himself, seemed to know about it. That was likely a good thing, as, knowing Remy, he probably would’ve taken advantage of it if he’d known. 

Virgil turned back to Remus, pulling a face. 

“I don’t know...” he said. “He’s been making school hell for me for years, I don’t wanna make it worse...” 

Remus scoffed. “Nah, you’ve got me now. No need to be a coward when I’ve got your back!” 

Virgil blinked. He didn’t know what to say. 

So, instead, he opened the cupcake box and handed Remus one of the last remaining two, keeping the final one for himself. 

Remus perked up. “Oh, nice!” He immediately took a large bite of his cupcake, continuing to talk with a mouth full of food. “Thanks.” 

Virgil snorted, turning away from the crumbs that spilled from the corners of Remus’s mouth. 

“No problem.” 

“Has everyone found a seat?” The teacher, Miss Bustier, called out, reminding Virgil that she was, in fact, still in the classroom. 

The fact that she hadn’t intervened in the fight over desks was unsurprising, but still a disappointment. Virgil severely doubted her ability to keep their class – and, in particular, Remy – in check. This would be a long year. 

“For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Miss Bustier,” the teacher smiled as she introduced herself, gesturing to her name that was written on the chalkboard. “I’ll be your teacher this year.” 

“Ugh,” Remy complained, leaning back in his seat and crossing his arms. “He should be here by now!” 

Remus leant in closer to Virgil, swallowing his last mouthful of cupcake. “Dad probably caught him and isn’t letting him come.” 

“Why hasn’t he pulled you out of class, yet, then?” 

“Ro’s the model. I’m not,” Remus explained, shrugging. “He doesn’t care what I do, as long as I don’t ruin his dumb ‘reputation’.” 

*** 

Roman ran down the street, his red and white schoolbag hanging over his shoulder. He ignored his father’s assistant, Nathalie, calling after him, and hoped his bodyguard wouldn’t catch up in time. 

Maybe, if he made it through the front doors of the school and into the classroom, Nathalie and his father wouldn’t pull him out until the end of the school day. Then, maybe he could convince them to let him keep coming back. After all, Remus had already snuck out and made it into the classroom, and had texted him a selfie of him and his ‘new friend’ to prove it. 

But the expectations for Remus and Roman were different. 

Remus was the lucky one. He wasn’t the model, so he was allowed much more freedom. Roman had to do as he was told. 

He reached the bottom of the school steps, and was almost ready to ascend them and make his way through the doors, when he heard a sudden groan of pain. His head swivelled around and his eyes landed on an old man on his hands and knees on the pavement. 

He’d clearly fallen, and he couldn’t get up. 

For a moment, he glanced back and forth between the school and the old man. Did he help the old man, but risk being caught by Nathalie and his bodyguard, who were oh-so close behind? Or did he leave the man on the ground, but make it to school, to freedom? 

Roman sighed, and turned back to the old man in the Hawaiian shirt, rushing over to him and bending over to help him up. 

“Thank you so much, young man,” the old man spoke as Roman handed him his cane. 

Roman smiled at him, opening his mouth to say something, but freezing as a large, familiar hand landed on his shoulder. He glanced back, and his eyes immediately landing on the blank face of his bodyguard, and the stern expression of Nathalie, who was stood just behind him. 

No words had to be exchanged for Roman to know what was going to happen next. 

As Roman was led towards the car that would take him home – to the prison he rarely got to leave on his own – he was unaware of the pair of eyes watching him intently. The old man, who now stood just fine without the useless cane, was staring at his back, watching him go. 

The old man then smiled as the car drove away, turning and balancing his cane on his shoulder, before walking back in the direction of home with ease. 

*** 

“For those of you who have P.E, Mr D’Argencourt is expecting you over at the stadium. The rest of you can all head over the library,” Miss Bustier called out as her class finished her lesson and got up, gathering their things. 

Over by the desks, Pryce passed Andy a note, snickering to himself as he did so. 

Andy read it quickly, and then crumpled it into a ball in his fist, turning back and glaring at the other, laughing teen. 

“What the hell, Pryce?” He snapped, lifting his arm and looking just about ready to punch him. 

Pryce just laughed, leaning back in his chair as their teacher sighed at Andy. 

“Andy, what’s going on?” 

“It’s Pryce! He’s- he’s- he’s such an asshole! Oh, I’m gonna-” He grabbed the front of Pryce’s white and red hoodie, glaring up at the taller boy and shaking him roughly. 

“Andy!” Miss Bustier scolded. “Go to the principal’s office.” 

Pryce laughed – and Remy, who was always one for drama – laughed along with him as Andy angrily grabbed his backpack, throwing it over his shoulder and storming out of the classroom. The rest of them just watched. 

*** 

“Perfect. A heart full of negative emotions. Anger. Sadness. Betrayal. Just what I need.” 

A glowing white butterfly landed on the gloved hand of the super-villain. He covered it with his other hand, and it turned a neon black and purple. 

“Turn him into my soldier. Fly away, little akuma, and evilize him!” 

The akuma left his hand, and he thumped his cane against the floor – the sound echoing across the dark empty room – as he flew through the window. It moved across Paris, an inconspicuous little butterfly that drew no attention, as no one noticed its dark aura and glowing purple pattern, with a one-track mind as it headed towards its victim. Hawk Moth didn’t have to wait long before he felt it infect Andy Bruel, and he smiled as the connection between him and his target was opened. A glowing purple outline – a jagged mask – appeared across his face, a matching one appearing on his victim, too. 

“Blackheart, I am Hawk Moth. You feel weak and helpless, scorned by your peers and the teacher you thought you could trust. I give you the power and strength to seek revenge on those who have wronged you. You’ll never feel weak and helpless again” 

“Okay, Hawk Moth.” 

*** 

The library was full of students talking quietly amongst themselves. Only a few were really doing work, though all were supposed to. 

Virgil and Remus had managed to find themselves a good table – with Remus having elbowed many others out of the way to get it – and were sat across from the other new kid, Patton Césaire, and Thomas Haprèle-Sanders. They had their school books open in front of them, but were paying them little attention as they had been mostly left unsupervised. 

Then, there was a loud bang as something large shook the whole library, knocking all four of them out of their seats and to the ground. Virgil yelped, holding his backpack to his chest and looking around frantically. 

Remus jumped up first, grabbing Virgil by the wrist and tugging him up and across the room, towards the large TV that showed off security camera footage of different areas of the school. Both Patton and Thomas followed immediately behind, as did a few other nearby students, and they all watched in helpless shock as the screen showed a large, black, stone-like monster landing just outside the front of the school. 

It dented the pavement, and the few nearby cars and people they could see all fled at the sight of it. 

“Pryce!” It shouted. 

Many of the other students around them began to shout and flee, but the four of them remained glued in place, watching the screen with a mix of anxiety and excitement. 

“What the hell?” Virgil exclaimed. “That’s Andy’s voice!” 

“Woah, it’s like he was turned into a real-life super-villain!” Remus’s voice lacked the fear that Virgil’s held, as he just stared at the screen in amazement. 

“Do you think he’s okay?” Thomas asked worriedly. 

Patton grabbed Remus’s arm, shaking him equally excitedly. “Do you think there’ll be a super-hero, too? Whatever turned Andy into this, it’s gotta be some kind of super-villain!” 

“Or Andy’s the super-villain,” Remus commented. 

Thomas shook his head. “Andy wouldn’t do that. He’s- he’s intimidating, but he’s not evil.” 

“We’ve gotta follow, we could record it.” Remus grinned. “There’s no way I’m missing this!” 

Patton nodded enthusiastically in agreement, and when Remus turned on his heel and ran in the opposite direction, he immediately ran after him. Thomas turned to follow, too, but hesitated, glancing back at Virgil, who remained in place. 

“Are you coming?” He asked. 

Virgil shook his head. “God, no. I’m going home. I don’t wanna be killed by this thing.” 

Thomas’s brow creased in thought. “It’s _Andy_ ,” he said softly. “He wouldn’t hurt anyone.” 

Then, he, too left, leaving Virgil on his own, still watching the TV screen. He watched as the monster with Andy’s voice picked up a car and threw it at the security camera, breaking it and showing only a rainbow error screen. 

“Pryce!” It shouted as it did so. 

Virgil winced. 

*** 

Roman’s lesson had been far more boring than usual. Normally, he at least had Remus to entertain him, but as Remus had managed to successfully escape and go to school, it had left only him and Nathalie in the large, echoing dining room. The subject was boring, too. Roman never had been the biggest fan of History. 

For a minute, his father, Gabriel, had emerged to scold him for going to school, and comment on how Remus was a ‘lost cause’ and that only Roman needed to be protected. Roman hadn’t been sure which of the two statements had angered him more, but he’d left in a hurry, locking himself in his room and turning on the TV. 

The day became significantly more interesting when the news displayed a monster named Blackheart rampaging across Paris, but Roman was still stuck in his room, far from the action. 

(When the police had fired their weapons at Blackheart, the monster had only grown larger and stronger, still yelling the name ‘Pryce’ as it destroyed cars and damaged the pavement with each footstep. The mayor had recommended everyone stay home while the police dealt with the threat.) 

Then, Roman noticed the octagonal box laying on the coffee table in front of the TV. 

*** 

“This day keeps getting better and better,” Virgil mumbled sarcastically to himself as he watched the news report on the super-villain. 

Then, he noticed the octagonal box – one that he’d never seen before – laying on his desk by the computer. 

“Huh?” He said, picking it up and looking it over. “What’s this?” 

It was well-made: black with an intricate red pattern carved into the top. 

He opened it, and the first thing he saw was a necklace – a silver chain with a large black and purple spider-shaped charm hanging off it. The second thing he saw was a purple ball of light emerge from the necklace. 

The spider charm changed to a black tear-drop shape, and a small, round, spider-shaped creature with a large head formed out of the ball of light, floating above the jewellery. 

Virgil yelped, pushing his chair back, wheeling as far away from the floating spider as possible, only just managing to not fall out of the chair as the box and the necklace clattered to the ground. The floating spider stared at him from a moment, uncurling its eight legs and blinking its eight eyes at him. It looked almost... cute – mostly black, but with a purple pattern – but Virgil was far too freaked out to notice that. 

“What the _fuck_?” 

Then, the floating spider opened its mouth and spoke, and Virgil just about had a heart attack. 

“That is not very nice,” it said, in a low, female voice. 

“What the fuck are you?” 

The spider had a very inhuman-looking face, but Virgil could immediately tell that the look she gave him was flat and slightly annoyed. 

“I am a kwami,” she spoke calmly. “And my name is Boo.” 

“Boo? Like- like a ghost?” 

She sighed. “The sound was named after me, not the other way around. Plagg thought it was funny, but _I_ beg to differ. I suppose it can’t be helped anymore, though. And you can’t have known any better.” 

Boo floated closer to him, and Virgil immediately jolted back. 

“There is no need to be afraid,” Boo continued in an impatient tone of voice. “I am here to help.” 

“Help with what?” 

Boo made a quiet sound that was halfway between a hum and a buzz, before she drifted down towards the floor, landing between the box and the necklace that had fallen out of it. 

“This is a Miraculous,” she explained. “The Spider Miraculous, to be precise. Miraculouses are magical pieces of jewellery that grant powers to their users when combined with their respective kwamis. Currently, the Butterfly Miraculous – also known as the Moth Miraculous – is in the hands of a super-villain. It grants the user the ability to choose a champion to fight for them, granting them temporary powers to aid them in battling evil.” She paused for a moment. “But, in the hands of evil, it is used to turn victims into-” 

“Monsters,” Virgil finished, his eyes returning to the computer screen, where the news still displayed the battle against Blackheart. “Like what’s happened to Andy.” 

Boo nodded, seeming please that he figured that part out on his own. “Exactly. The villain has used an akuma – a butterfly, that when combined with an object turns the owner of the object into a hero or a monster. The Butterfly Miraculous must be retrieved and returned to the Guardian.” 

“Guardian?” 

“Yes. The Guardian keeps a hold of the Miraculouses – or, at least, some of the Miraculouses.” She sighed, her small body drooping visibly. “Many are still lost to us. You see, Miraculouses come in sets, in large boxes that hold at least a dozen at a time, but our Guardian currently only holds a few of us, all from different boxes.” 

“Okay... but, what are you doing _here_? Like... in my room?” 

Boo moved so she was right in front of his face: all eight of her eyes staring right into Virgil’s two, and he barely resisted the urge to look away uncomfortably. 

“You have been chosen to wield the Spider Miraculous, to become a hero and fight the wielder of the Butterfly Miraculous.” 

Virgil froze. 

“Wha- but I’m not a hero.” 

“Not yet, but you will be.” 

“But- but I don’t know how to fight,” Virgil spoke hurriedly, stumbling over his words. “And I _especially_ don’t know how to fight a super-villain!” 

“The Miraculous will enhance your strength, speed and agility. It will give you the physical abilities needed to fight.” 

“But I’m just a teenager! I go to school, I design and make clothes, I bake with my parents. That’s it! I can’t fight!” 

“Anyone can use a Miraculous to fight,” Boo said calmly. “Even the weakest of people could use a Miraculous to fight. But it takes a special kind of soul to be a hero.” She flew forwards, resting one of her eight arms on Virgil’s chest, over his heart. “And you have that.” 

"I- what?” 

“Every Miraculous has a specific type of human it matches well with,” she continued, speaking slowly and patiently. “These people are rare and difficult to find, but every Guardian has the ability to see which souls make the perfect wielders. And you, Virgil Dupain-Cheng, are a perfect match for the Spider. The Guardian tested you, too, and he saw that your heart is good. You will be a good hero.” 

There were many things to unpack there, and Virgil was feeling really quite overwhelmed. His hands bunched up the material of his hoodie in tight fists, and he could feel his heart race. 

“I... I don’t remember being tested?” 

It was difficult to tell with her inhuman face, but Virgil got the feeling that Boo was smiling at him. 

“The best tests are the ones where the subject is unaware that they are being tested,” she spoke cryptically. “Those produce the most genuine results.” She paused for a moment. “Does this mean you are ready? Because there is still a villain rampaging through the streets of Paris, and we really should be quick.” 

Virgil straightened up suddenly, like he was only now remembering the situation at hand. 

“You said that the monster was created by a- a wielder of the Moth Miraculous, right?” 

“Correct.” 

“So, where are they? The news only talks about the, uh... Andy. Blackheart. Where’s the Butterfly?” 

“Likely in hiding,” Boo answered. “The Butterfly works from a distance. The wielder likely won’t emerge unless absolutely necessary, and will only fight through their champions.” 

Virgil’s brow creased in confusion. “But then how am I supposed to fight him?” He paused for a moment, watching the kwami’s expression, before sighing. “This is gonna last more than one battle, isn’t it?” 

“I’m afraid so. I believe it won’t be so easy to draw out the Butterfly user, and you’ll have to fight many akumas to get there.” 

“Shit.” 

Boo shot him a chastising look, and he mumbled an apology. She sighed. 

“We do have some idea of the Butterfly’s motivations, though.” 

“And what’s that?” 

“I believe they are going to be after the Ladybug Miraculous and Black Cat Miraculous: the most powerful of all Miraculouses. Creation and Destruction. Combined, they give the user practically infinite power, so we must make sure they stay out of the wrong hands. The Guardian currently holds these Miraculouses, and we believe that that is what the Butterfly holder is after.” 

“So... it’s a race to see who can find the other first? The Butterfly sending out a – what did you call it? – an akuma, and the Guardian sending out me?” 

“You will have a partner, too. The Guardian has sent out the Red Dragon Miraculous as well as the Spider. We should hurry, he might have already transformed by now.” 

“Crap, okay.” 

“So, you’ll do it?” 

“Uh... yeah? I guess. It- it's worth a try.” 

“Wonderful.” Boo clapped with four pairs of spider-hands. “Put on the necklace and from now on, you cannot take it off.” She paused for a moment, watching as Virgil bent down, picking up the box and the necklace, shoving the box into a random desk drawer, and putting the necklace on. “When you wish to transform, say ‘Boo, web out,’ and then when you wish to de-transform, say ‘Boo, web in.’ When transformed, there will be a glamour on you that keeps others from recognising your face and voice, though if you are not careful, they may still work out your identity. This cannot happen.” 

Virgil nodded. “Oh- okay.” 

“Your power is called Spider Web,” she continued. “Say the words when transformed and it will be activated. You will be able to shoot out a large web from your fingertips that will trap anyone and anything, but yourself. It cannot be destroyed by anything but the power of a few different Miraculouses, and will stay in place for as long as you are transformed. Once you use this, however, you will have five minutes before you de-transform, and you will have to feed me to transform again.” 

“Well, that’s bullshit.” 

Boo huffed, crossing four sets of arms. “We will have to work on your language, spiderling.” 

“Sorry, sorry, it’s just- Andy’s been a monster for way more than five minutes. How come the Moth guy doesn’t get a timer?” 

“The Butterfly wielder is likely an adult. Teenagers are given timers, but they are much more flexible and it is easier to develop a Miraculous bond with a teenager than an adult. This will not be too much of an issue, just as long you carry around food to feed me with. It does not take too long to recharge.” 

“Okay... what do you eat?” 

“Anything sweet.” 

“So... like candy?” 

“That shall suffice.” 

“Okay, that’s... I should have something somewhere...” Virgil wheeled his chair back over his desk and began to hurriedly sift through a few drawers before he finally found what he was looking for, and pulled out a small bag of gummy worms. “Will this work?” 

Boo’s eyes lit up. “Oh, these are worm-shaped?” 

Virgil nodded. 

“That is certainly preferable.” She nodded, and Virgil stuffed the bag into his hoodie pocket. “Insect-shaped sweet things would be my favourite.” 

“Is- is that everything?” 

“I believe so. You partner’s Miraculous will give him the ability to destroy akumas – not ideal, the Ladybug does work better in these situations, but we must work with what we have got. My recommendation is that you trap this ‘Blackheart’, and then your partner breaks the object and the akuma. After the akuma is destroyed, the Guardian will use the Ladybug Miraculous’s cure to fix any damage caused by the akuma.” 

Virgil blinked. “But I thought you said he didn’t want to risk using the Ladybug or the Black Cat?” 

“He will not be involved in the battle,” Boo explained. “He will remain in hiding, as the cure can be used from a distance. Do you understand?” 

“Alright... I- I think so.” Virgil nodded. “So... uh, I guess – Boo, web out?” 

He said it more like a question than anything else, but it worked just fine, and Boo was immediately sucked into the Miraculous. Virgil felt the transformation wash over him – strangely cool and tingly as his clothes were replaced by a surprisingly comfortable super-suit. 

Most of the super-suit was one piece – solid black with deep, purple pockets on the trousers and a purple belt around the middle. The boots were black, too, (but with purple soles) and there was a large white spider-web in the centre of the chest, just under the necklace. The jewel had changed to a bright purple, eight-legged spider again, like it had had before Boo had come out, but this time it had five glowing purple eyes on its head. There was a jacket, too, that was black and purple with white spider-web patches, that had a large hood currently pulled down. His gloves were thick, sturdy and black. 

Under the jacket, over the suit, there looked to be four thick 3D lines – two on each side – spreading out from his spine, like extra ribs over his ribcage, that gave the illusion of Virgil having four short extra legs, just stuck to his torso. 

Attached to his belt on one side was something that looked halfway between a phone and a tablet, that matched the black and purple aesthetic, with a spider-web across the back. On the other side, also attached to his belt, was a coiled-up piece of white rope that appeared to be thick and sturdy and incredibly shiny. 

And, on his face, there was a mask. It was black and purple, surrounding his eyes and covering most of his nose, but spreading out like a spider-web near the edges of his face. 

His previously brown eyes were now solid black – no whites or irises, just solid black and shiny, with quite the creepy effect – and his previously black hair was now tinted purple, a colour he’d always wanted to dye it to. His canines had sharpened to a point, like fangs. 

Aesthetically, he looked closer to a typical super-villain than a super-hero, and Virgil _loved_ it. 

Virgil grinned despite his anxiety – it was ever-present, really, so he had experience trying to ignore the pounding heart in his chest. This felt... right. 

“Virgil? Honey, is everything okay?” He heard his mother call out from under the trapdoor that led to his room. 

“Crap,” he muttered. “Uh, yeah, Mama, I’m fine!” He shouted back. 

Part of the whole ‘super-hero’ thing was keeping your identity a secret, he assumed, so he figured he probably shouldn’t let his parents know. He left his room, climbing up onto the rooftop balcony and ducking down so no one on the street below could see him. 

“Okay...” he mumbled to himself. “How do I...” 

Virgil’s hand landed on the rope attached to his belt. Immediately, he could feel himself connecting to it, almost like it was becoming an extension of his body – something he could use just as easily as the rest of his limbs. He knew exactly what to do. 

He straightened up, pulling the rope off his belt and feel one end of it coil around his hand like a snake, attaching itself easily. Then, he flicked his wrist, and the other end of the rope shot forward, stretching and elongating itself magically and catching a gargoyle on the rooftop of an opposite building, just across the street. 

Virgil took a deep breath, and then tugged. 

He was suddenly pulled forward as the rope followed his silent command and made itself shorter, swinging him across the street and then up and over the building, much further than he’d anticipated. 

He yelped, then bit back a scream as he tumbled uncontrollably through the air – the rope detaching itself from the building as his grip on it loosened. He moved too fast to see where he was going and he couldn’t catch himself in time before he crashed into another figure on a whole different rooftop than the one he’d meant to land on. 

“Jesus- fuck!” He yelped as he rolled off the other person and landed on his back. 

“Oh, wow! You were-” they took a moment to huff loudly, out of breath from being knocked into by Virgil. “You were not looking where you were going, were you?” 

Virgil panted, out of breath, taking a few seconds to compose himself – staring up at the blue and white sky and wincing slightly at the too-bright sun – before he finally had enough air in his lungs to talk again. 

“Excuse me for not being perfect on my first day of people a superhero,” he hissed, perhaps a little harsher than intended, but he was having an _interesting_ day. 

There was a beat. 

“So, you’re my partner, then?” Virgil didn’t have time to answer that before a masked face appeared in his vision as his partner got up, looking him over critically. “Hmm... you look like a villain, but I suppose you’ll do.” 

Virgil took a moment to glare half at him and half at the sun, before he sat up and finally looked over his partner properly. 

It was a teenage boy about his age – though that part he could’ve told from the voice alone – with blond hair and bright green eyes. He was dressed in a way that looked halfway between a super-suit for fighting crime, and a proper suit for a formal event: red and gold with hints of white, all made up of dragon-like scales. His gloves were a pristine white, matching his boots. On one side, on his hip, he had a tablet similar to Virgil’s, though red and gold inside of black and purple, and on his other hip there was a sheathed sword. 

On his wrist there was a golden bracelet: it looked like a dragon with red gems for eyes and five red spikes down its back, its tail in its mouth. Virgil assumed that that was his Miraculous. 

Virgil huffed, crossing his arms. “How come you get a sword, and I just get a piece of rope?” 

The other hero laughed, holding out his hand to Virgil. “Because I’m awesome, that’s why.” 

Virgil took his hand, allowing the other boy to pull him up so they were standing side-by-side. He was slightly taller than the Dragon hero, and he couldn’t help but feel just a tad smug about it. 

“So,” his partner continued, straightening up and announcing. “I am Prince Dragon.” 

“That’s too long,” Virgil said immediately, without thinking. “I’m calling you Princey.” 

Princey huffed, crossing his arms. “Fine, whatever. And who might you be?” 

Virgil blinked. “Uh...” 

“You mock my alias, yet you still haven’t come up with your own?” 

“I wasn’t _mocking_ , I just- I'm not creative, okay! I dunno. How the hell did you come up with yours so quickly?” 

“Because I’m a _genius,_ spider boy.” 

“Oh, well, sorry it takes me more than fifteen freaking minutes to come up with a good name,” Virgil snapped sarcastically. “My mind’s been a little occupied.” 

“No need to be _rude_ , oh, eight-legged partner of mine,” Prince Dragon said, before flashing a bright grin. “I’ll just help you come up with one. Hmm...” He tapped his finger on his chin. “What about Spinner? You know, ‘cos spiders spin webs?” 

“Pass.” 

“What about... Charlotte?” 

“What?” 

“You know, Charlotte? Like Charlotte’s web? Ugh, _please_ tell me my partner isn’t uncultured. I don’t know if I’ll be able to work with you if you can’t understand my references.” 

“No, I- ugh, no, I get the reference. I just- whatever, that’s a dumb name. Try again.” 

“No, need to be so rude, my knight in gloomy armour.” Prince Dragon then suddenly perked up again. “Ooh, what about something knight-themed?” 

“No.” 

Princey ignored him. “Stormy Knight? That matches your gloomy attitude!” 

“But not my powers or my costume,” Virgil said flatly. “I’m a spider. I can make a big web to trap people, that’s it. Nothing weather-related. Also-” he paused, before his eyes widened. “Oh, shit, shouldn’t we be saving Paris?” 

Just as he said this, the pair suddenly heard a loud rumble and a crash. Both jumped, startled, their heads swivelling around. They watched, wide-eyed and shocked, as a nearby building fell and crashed to the ground in a large cloud of dust. 

“Oh, my stars, I can’t believe I let you distract me like that! We have a job to do!” 

“Me? Distract you? You were the one listing names and wasting time!” 

*** 

The seats of the stadium were all empty, the only people in the vicinity being the students stretching and doing P.E. in the centre. They were all calm, relaxed and chatting amongst themselves, none of them having heard the news of the monster roaming the Paris streets, who was looking for one of them in particular. 

“Pryce!” Blackheart roared, leaping into the stadium and denting the ground as it landed with a crash. “So, who’s the coward now?” 

The rest of the students fled, leaving only a frozen Pryce standing terrified in the centre, his legs unable to move for once in his life. Then, after a moment, he finally remembered to run, and he turned on his heel and attempted to flee. 

The monster was large – at least twice as tall as the average human – and made out of smooth, black stone, with two large, glowing white eyes that took up almost half of its face. One hand was permanently clenched into a fist. The other reached out towards the fleeing Pryce. Its hand was five times the size of his head – it would easily be able to crush his skull to dust with just one simple squeeze. 

Pryce tripped, but before the monster could grab and destroy him, a hero dressed in red, gold and white landed between them. 

(Enhanced speed, strength and agility made travelling across Paris much swifter and easier, especially when paired with a partner who could swing between buildings with invincible spider-silk rope.) 

“My, you’re quite the giant, aren’t you?” Prince Dragon grinned at the beast, unsheathing his sword and getting into a fighting stance. 

“And you’re tiny compared to me. Is that toothpick supposed to scare me?” 

Blackheart lifted his fist, before smashing it down over Prince Dragon’s head. He dodged out of the way just in time, and a cloud of dust burst from the spot that the stone hand had hit the ground. The giant straightened up again, and the purple of a mask appeared over his face for a brief moment. 

“No!” Blackheart heard Hawk Moth shout in his head. “They don’t have the Ladybug or the Black Cat Miraculouses! Capture them, take their Miraculouses, and find out where they’re hiding them!” 

Then, the outline faded, but Blackheart knew that the villain was still watching through his eyes. 

“Where are the Ladybug and the Black Cat?” He bellowed at Prince Dragon as the hero easily dodged another blow. “Give them to me!” 

Prince Dragon jumped up – his Miraculous making him leap much higher and further than he usually could – and brought his sword down over Blackheart’s head. The metal and stone collided with a loud cracking sound, but the villain remained completely unharmed. If the sword hadn’t been magical, it likely would’ve broken, but it didn’t, and, for that, Princey was very grateful. 

But when the hero’s boots hit the ground again, he watched in open-mouthed horror as Blackheart began to glow, increasing in size before turning back to Prince Dragon with a growl. 

“Crap.” 

As he said this, Virgil finally landed in the arena, just across the grass from the fight – having slowed down and dawdled out of anxiety, gnawing on his thumb as he considered just turning around and fleeing. 

Being a hero? That wasn’t for him! He was Virgil, he was a coward! He was no hero. He couldn’t do this. He really, _really_ couldn’t do this. He should’ve told Boo ‘no’ and just given the Miraculous to somebody else, someone actually fit for being a hero. 

Maybe Remus? He certainly seemed brave enough. 

Or Thomas. Or Patton. They were both nice and smart and- 

“Hey, spider-guy, what are you waiting for? Kill him!” 

Virgil jumped, spinning around, his eyes finally landing on Remus, Thomas and Patton, who were crouching down at the edge of the arena, watching the fight. 

“No, no! Don’t kill him. Save him!” Thomas elbowed Remus’s arm, shooting him a reprimanding look, before turning back to the hero with one of wide-eyed concern 

Remus then muttered something that sounding something like. “ _Fine,_ if you wanna be _boring_.” 

(Virgil suddenly realised that his hearing was much, much better like this. As was his eyesight, as he could make out things far away much clearer than usual.) 

Patton nodded enthusiastically, agreeing with Thomas, and then held up his phone, which appeared to be filming the action – which included Virgil, too, of course. 

He took a deep breath – feeling his heart beat loudly and steadily in his chest: ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum – before he straightened up, suddenly filled with a courage that he hadn’t felt before. Virgil turned back to the fight, and cursed under his breath when he realised that, in the moments he’d been hesitating, Prince Dragon had lost his sword (it lay abandoned on the grass, not too far from Virgil) and the hero, himself, had been grabbed by Blackheart. 

Virgil grabbed his rope, feeling one end coil around his wrist, just as it had before. It was tight enough to be reassuring, but not enough to be physically uncomfortable. He then whipped the other end forward, and it wrapped itself around Blackheart’s legs. 

He tugged, and the villain fell forward onto its face. Both of his hands opened as he tripped: Prince Dragon tumbling out of one of them, and a small purple rock falling right out of the other. Blackheart picked the rock back up as quickly as he could, curling his hand into a protective fist around it, but Virgil managed to catch a quick glimpse of it, and something clicked in his head. 

He turned and ran over to his partner as Prince Dragon got back to his feet. 

“The akuma’s in his fist,” Virgil spoke quickly. “It’s a purple rock. He dropped it when he fell, but I doubt he’ll make that same mistake again.” 

“Alright, then let’s kick his ass and destroy that thing!” 

Virgil grabbed his elbow and tugged him back before he could run off. “Not so fast, Princey. I think he gets bigger when you hit him. We’ve gotta be smart about this.” 

Prince Dragon huffed, crossing his arms. “Fine, then. What do you suggest, knock-off Peter Parker?” 

Virgil rolled his eyes, glancing around the arena for inspiration. Blackheart was frozen in place with a glowing purple mask on his face. It was vaguely butterfly-shaped, so he assumed it had something to do with the Moth Miraculous wielder who had turned him into that monster. 

“What’s your power? I can make a big web to trap it with. It sticks to everyone but me,” Virgil said, but when Prince Dragon opened his mouth to respond, he hurriedly interrupted him. “And don’t say the name, yet! That activates it, and it’s a one-time use kinda thing.” 

Prince Dragon blinked. “It is?” 

“Yes, and we have five minutes afterwards before we de-transform. Didn’t your, uh... your kwami explain that to you?” 

Prince Dragon shot him a sheepish smile. “I got excited.” 

Virgil huffed, rolling his eyes again. “Fine. _Please_ , tell me you at least know what your power is.” 

“Relax, Hot Topic, I'm not _stupid_ , I know that one! I can breathe fire – it lasts a few seconds and can destroy anything. Tarr said I should use it to destroy the akuma.” 

“Right, you’ll use it on the rock then.” 

Princey nodded. 

“Okay... but how do we get him to open his fist?” 

“Uh...” Virgil trailed off. He didn’t know what to say, but his thoughts were interrupted when Blackheart suddenly turned and leapt at them again. “Improvise!” He shouted as they ran in opposite directions to avoid being crushed. 

“Nice plan!” Prince Dragon shouted back sarcastically, grabbing his previously-abandoned sword off the ground and quickly re-sheathing it. 

Blackheart turned to Virgil, lifting his fists in the air, and Virgil gulped. 

“Where are the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculouses?” Blackheart shouted again. 

“Why the hell would I know?” Virgil shouted back, jumping to the left just in time for a large, black stone fist to come crashing down where he’d just stood. 

His head swivelled around quickly as he looked for something, anything, that could help them defeat Blackheart. At one side of the stadium stood Thomas, Remus and Patton, still watching and filming the fight. Virgil was quite grateful that Blackheart showed no interest in attacking the trio, as he wasn’t sure what he would do if he had to protect them, too. At the other side stood his partner, who stared at him expectantly. 

“Shit,” Virgil swore under his breath. “Uh- uh-” 

Then, suddenly, something clicked in his head and he straightened up. He had a plan. 

Blackheart turned, ready to attack Prince Dragon, but before he even had his back fully to Virgil, the hero whistled loudly get his attention back. 

“Hey!” Virgil shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth. “I lied. I’ve got them right here!” He patted his pockets, backing up as he did so. “Come and get them!” 

Blackheart spun back around, roaring and running towards Virgil, bringing the fist that didn’t hold the akuma down. Virgil stayed in place until the last second, then rolled out of the way just as the stone hand hit the ground. 

“Spider Web!” Virgil shouted, aiming his hands in the direction of Blackheart’s fist. 

A white web shot from the palms of his hands, flying in the direction of Blackheart and landing over his fist, spreading out, covering it and attaching it to the ground. The villain tried to pull his hand back but failed, grunting as he did so. He tried to rest his foot on the web to steady himself, but the foot got stuck, too. 

Blackheart turned and roared at the heroes as Prince Dragon returned to Virgil’s side. 

“Nice work, sidekick.” 

Virgil turned and glared at him. “ _Partner_ ,” he corrected. 

Princey raised his hands defensively. “Kidding, kidding! No need to get your super-suit in a twist, my dark and stormy knight.” He grinned widely. “So, what now? How do we get him to open his other hand?” 

“That’s where you come in,” Virgil said, turning back to Blackheart and watching the villain try and fail to escape the web. “I need you to throw me at him.” 

“You- what?” 

“Throw me at him,” Virgil repeated, a tad impatiently. “At the fist we need to open. The suits make us strong enough, I’m pretty sure. I’m hoping he’ll try to catch me and drop the rock.” 

“And what if he doesn’t?” 

“Then... panic.” 

Prince Dragon snorted. “Well, I suppose it’s the only plan we’ve got.” 

“Destroy the rock as soon as you can. Hopefully, before Blackheart can crush me.” 

“You have such faith in me. Surprising, given your gloomy attitude and evil colour-scheme.” 

“Yeah, well, don’t make me regret it.” 

Prince Dragon grinned. “I wouldn’t dream of it.” 

Then, without warning – which Virgil supposed he should’ve expected – he picked Virgil up, taking a moment to adjust him in his arms, and almost balance him on his shoulder, before launching him straight at the villain with a strength much higher than any regular human’s. 

As Virgil tumbled through the air, he heard cheering from the side lines, with Remus’s voice being the loudest of the three. He probably would’ve smiled at the reassurance if he hadn’t been currently falling through the air towards a stone monster at an alarming speed. 

Blackheart opened his hand to catch Virgil – just as he’d hoped – the stone fingers wrapping tightly around the hero’s middle, and the rock fell to the ground. 

Prince Dragon dashed over to it, picking it up and tossing it into the air. 

“Fire Breath!” He shouted, and a large bright flame immediately burst from his mouth, lasting a few seconds and burning the small, purple rock into ash. 

A small, black and purple butterfly appeared from the ash, and, at the same time, Blackheart turned back to Andy. Both him and Virgil fell to the ground with a thump, and Andy immediately began to look around wildly – wide-eyed and panicked and confused, like he had absolutely no idea how he’d gotten there. 

The ash turned back into a crumpled ball of paper, and the akuma flew away. Neither of the two heroes noticed the butterfly. 

“Yes!” Prince Dragon cheered, pumping his fist in the air. “I’m awesome!” As Virgil got up, dusting himself off and shooting him a pointed look, he continued with: “Oh, and, uh... you’re awesome, too, I guess.” 

Virgil rolled his eyes. 

He then looked around. “Uh... isn’t all this damage supposed to fix itself? Boo said that when we were done, the Guardian would use the Ladybug to fix everything that was destroyed by the akuma.” 

Prince Dragon shrugged. “Maybe he’s just late. This is our first time doing this, after all.” 

“What the hell’s going on? What am I doing here?” Andy sat up. 

“Woah! That was amazing!” Patton exclaimed as the three other students ran over to them. “You two are so cool!” He bounced up and down on the spot, still recording on his phone. “Who are you? What can we call you?” 

Princey beamed. “I am Prince Dragon, and I vow to protect Paris until the villain that akumatized your friend is caught!” 

“And, uh... I am...” Virgil trailed off, glancing for a moment at Prince Dragon for help, but his partner just shrugged. “I’m... Tarantula?” 

“Woah! Badass!” Remus exclaimed. “You look like Halloween threw up on you. That’s awesome!” 

Thomas spared a quick glance at the two heroes, before rushing over to Andy to help him up. Andy’s face reddened slightly when the other teen touched him, and something immediately clicked in Virgil’s head. He opened his mouth to speak, but then he noticed that his necklace was beeping, and he glanced down at it. 

Three of the eyes on the spider had stopped glowing, leaving only two remaining. One was flickering, and it took him a moment to realise that that meant he had less than two minutes before he transformed back. 

“Crap, I’ve gotta go,” he said. “Identity’s gotta stay a secret, you know?” He turned back to the others, who were watching him, and he awkwardly saluted. “Uh... Tarantula out, I guess.” 

Before he could die of awkward embarrassment, he grabbed his rope again, quickly using it to swing out of the stadium and leave. Princey seemed the friendly type – he could finish dealing with the civilians on his own. 

*** 

“So, thanks to this amateur footage, the Parisians now know the names of our heroes. The Mayor is organizing a huge celebration in honour of our new protectors: Prince Dragon and Tarantula!” 

Roman sat back on the sofa, grinning proudly as he watched the news. 

“I can’t believe it, I’m a super-hero now!” 

“Eww, what’s this?” The red dragon kwami pulled a face. 

“What? It’s ice cream. My personal chef made it. Don’t you like it?” 

Tarr flew closer to his face, crossing his arms and glaring at Roman. “No! It’s cold, so I hate it! If you expect me to get my energy back up, I’m gonna need something hotter!” 

“Like what?” 

“Like peppers! The spiciest you can find!” 

Roman sighed, taking his phone from his pocket and switching it on. “Fine. Remus isn’t home yet, I’ll text him and get him to pick some up. If I bribe him with video games, he’ll probably do it, no questions asked.” 

“Good! Remember, no one can know about me, not even your twin. It’s, like, one of the most important rules of the Miraculous.” 

Roman sighed again, louder this time. “But what’s the point of saving people, if no one knows to praise my name!” 

*** 

“Just as Paris is about to celebrate the appearance of our two new super-heroes, Prince Dragon and Tarantula, a new wave of panic is sweeping across the capital as dozens of people are mysteriously transformed into black stone monsters. It’s simply unbelievable!” 

“Wha- Boo, what the hell? You didn’t say this was gonna happen?” 

The spider kwami flew over to her holder, who was watching the news on his computer, which now displayed video footage of dozens of black and purple butterflies – akumas – flying around Paris and turning people into frozen black stone monsters. Statues. 

“Did you destroy the akuma?” Boo asked. 

“We destroyed the stone that held the akuma. Isn’t that what you told us to do?” 

Boo shook her head, sighing. “No, an akuma can multiply, that’s why it must be purified or destroyed after breaking what holds it. Virgil, if Andy’s emotions turn negative again, then Hawkmoth can use original akuma to turn him back into Blackheart. He’ll bring all those statues to life and control them as one giant army.” 

Virgil’s stomach dropped. 

“Shit.” 


End file.
